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i UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

WILLIAM H. SHEGUT AND HORACE H. DAY, OF NEW. YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN ADHESIVE PLASTERS.

Specification forming part'ofLe'tters Patent N 3,965, dated Marchiti, 1845.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H'AnRoL SHEGUT and HORACE H. DAY, of the city and State of New York, U. A., have invented a new and improved mode of preparing adhesive and strengthening plasters of indiarubber and other materials for medicinal purposes, by which improvement the plasters are rendered porous or full of minute holes which allow the free escape of the perspiration and other morbid matter which may exude from the parts to which they may be applied, and which reuders them inlinitely superior to the plasters as commonly prepared for these purposes, the latter being stift'and hard and apt to crack, and when worn any length of time eorrugate in wrinkles'orfolds which cause much uneasiness. They are also extremely difficult 'to remove, and being impervious to fluids retain the morbid matter discharged from the parts, so that unless they are removed frequently for thepurpose of cleansing the surfaoet hem atter discharged is not only liable to be taken into the system again by absorption, but is otherwise disagreeable and offensive from its odor.

The articles we employ in the preparation of the said plasters are those known in commerce as caoutchouc or india-rubber-pine-gum obtained from the southern yellow pine, commonly termed long-leafed pine, cayenne pepper, balsam of Peru, litharge, and spirits of turpentine.

To enable others skilled in the art to nuke and use our invention, we will proceed to describe our mode of preparing the composition and plaster. I

We first cut five pounds of india-rubber into fine shreds'and boil it an hour in common soft water to soften it. We then drain off the water and put the rubber into a tin or copper vessel which will hold at least sixty gallons, and pourinto it a suflicient quantity of spirits of turpentine to cover the gum completely, adding from time to time more spirits ofturpeutine as the gum. soaks it up. This process may be hastened by placing the vessel over a waterbath. When the rubber is sufficiently dissolved to admit of its being pressed through a fine wire seive it may be set aside for use.

We next simmer four ounces of Oapsicznn annumn or cayenne pepper in a quart of spirits of turpentine about one hour and strain it with a portion of this tincture. We grind a pound of litharge on a slabor in a paint-mill, mix it with the remainder of the tincture of cayenne, and add to itsix ounces of balsam 0t Peru. Then we melt a poundot' pine-gum and add spirits of turpentine until it is thin enough to strain when nearly cool, and, lastly, mix the whole of the preceding preparations together until the mixture is of uniform color, without specks or lumps. It is then ready for spreading on any suitable material. Cotton cambric or muslin will answer the purpose extremely well.

For spreading .we employ the machinery eommonly used for preparing India-rubber cloth; but the common plaster-machine used 7 by apothecaries may be used instead. After the composition is spread on the cloth it must be dried in the open air in summer, and in a stove-room in winter. Under the mostfavorable circumstances it will require eight or ten days to dry it, and then will still retain a slightly sticky feel or tack, asit is termed, which unless the plasters are pierced singly would cause them to adhere strongly together. To prevent this wepounce ordustthe cloth over with soap stone reduced to an impalpable powder, and by this means four or five. thicknesses of cloth may be perforated at one and the same time.

For punching the cloth it is necessary to use very small cutting-iniuches which cut out the hole completely, as the solid punches not only have the disadvantage of doing the work imperfectly, but likewise verv soon spoil the wooden bed on which the cloths are laid to be perforated. The wooden bed should be made of transverse sections ot' hickory wood closely fitted together. By being out across the fibers or grain of the wood the bed will last much longer and free the punches more eiiectually. The specimen sent was punched by hand; but as this would be an expensive mode of preparation we are making arrangements to perforatethem by steam-power.

The plasters are finished by brushing them over with balsam of Peru and again drying them, when they are ready for use. The advantages which the plasters thus made possess over those in common use are they are always soft, adhesive, and porous-a combination of desirable q possess; and whi of acrid matter from the skin or ulcer, as the case may be, do not retain it, but allow its free passage through the plaster. They may also be removed at any time wi ualities which no other plasters le they excite the discharge advantage which will be readily by those w ho have used the adh strengthening plasters as com What we claim as our inven to secure by Letters Patent, is=- thout difficulty-an appreciated esive and monly prepared. tion, and desire I Witnesses OWEN G. WARREN,

1. The combination of the materials in the general proportions above described for makmg an adhesive plaster.

2. Making plaste'rsporous or pervious to fluids by perforating them .with numerous minute, holes.

WILLIAM H. SHECUT. HORACE H. DAY.

EDWIN G. WARREN. 

